Hey'a Stranger
by Dimensional Traveler 009
Summary: Hercule used his instant popularity after the Cell Games to his advantage, rising to power as the Ruler of Earth. Shortage of money causes Gohan to search for a job, while at the same time he attempts to finish his education and keep up with his training. Catching the eye of Princess Videl Satan was never his intention though the Sparks that will fly would be were worth every bit.
1. Chapter 1

**King Hercule - 1**

* * *

He was Hecule Satan, World Champ, Winner of the Cell Games, Savior of the World and lastly … the King of Planet Earth. His word was the law, his name was respect personified and his entire frame screamed power … to the people of the blue green planet.

To the people he was their King of seven years. Had he not protected them, looked after them and cherished them. Today marked the day, their Lord ascended the throne, his rightful place. Celebrations and parties rocked Satan City as posters of their King decorated every inch of the metropolitan.

School had been let out after the usual one hour speech on Hercule Satan early in the morning. All companies, industries and colleges were on leave. A grand parade had been arranged, at the end of which their King would give his annual speech. The time was 9:13 to be precise and the parade started at 10, sharp.

Thousands of chairs were scattered around the main hall podium of Satan City, the biggest auditorium in the world. Countless speakers and Air Conditioners were visible covering the whole arena courtesy of Capsule Corporation. Screens, the size of movie theaters were set up for the public to view their King's speech. Every News channel had a crew set up on spot, with some the best journalists in the world as the heads.

From one of the top floors, the King watched the arrangements, a smirk grazing his features. Every year the number and quality of the arrangements seemed to increase twofold, and all of it was done to please him. In return he would take the human race to a new era, an era of development, an era of progress and an era of Power.

He had wanted to do something big, ever since he was a kid. He wanted to help the people, to do something more to this world. He had entered fighting at the age of twenty. He Married at the age of twenty five only to lose his wife ten years later with their 8 year old daughter in his hands. He had won the WMAT two years after that, in hopes of providing his daughter with anything and everything she needed only for his hopes to come crashing down when he was expected to face the monster known as Cell.

He had not expected to come out of the tournament alive, but he had managed to, luckily he might add. His rise to power from the Savior of the world to the King Of the World, was an essential one. He knew that he couldn't beat the real victors of the Cell games. Should he lose a WMAT his fame would sink like a rock. Their word would become the law.

He had never been what people would call as cunning, but he knew what needed to be done and when it needed to be done. Him, becoming King was essential, for the political power that came along with it, would be the only way he would be able to back up his … _lie_.

A knock on the door shook him out of his thoughts, "Come in" he called.

One of his butlers entered the room, "Your Majesty, I have come bearing some … sensitive news" he said.

"Speak up Randolf" Hercule commanded. He preferred it if people were frank with him. He had raised his own daughter to be straightforward and honest all the time.

Looking at Randolf, he immediately knew that his butler was the bearer of some bad news. His nervous posture and the uneasy look on his usually composed face brought a grimace to the kings face.

His butler's face became composed as he spoke in his usual rigid voice "Your Highness, I am sorry to inform you that Capsule Corp has once more rejected our proposal for more Martial Arts equipment. Our squad of financiers just met with Bulma Briefs herself … and she has downright rejected our seventy five Billion Contract … again."

Keeping the irritation and anger from showing on his face he said one word, "Leave" in a slow whisper which was unusually cold.

The Butler gulped and nodded before hurrying out of the room closing the door behind him.

No sooner had the door closed did Hercule fling the Wine glass which was in his hand with all his might. A Resounding crash echoed as it made contact with the beautiful mantelpiece. He face contorted into a ugly scowl as he thought of the one woman who had defied him since the first day of his rise to power. The bloody woman was becoming more and more infuriating as the days went by.

He was quite certain that she was totally against him. Was it because he had tried to hit on her during the first Dinner Party he had conducted as King. He did not know. She had been breathtaking, as always, in a Blue Gown that brought out her sapphire eyes. She had a figure that men all over the world lusted for.

He had thought that she would look really good in his arm. She was a kind woman who had donated a lot to Poverty and reliefs, and would have made a perfect mother for his Videl. Her brain was an added gift, while her wealth and ownership of CC was big Bonus. But No, she had rejected to even dance with him. She had interacted nicely with everyone else present while being aloof with him.

He had a sneaking suspicion since that day, that he was missing an important puzzle of the game. Any and every Spy, Assassin or mercenaries he had sent to scout CC had never returned. He had waved it off as the genius women's extraordinary security system; she was after all the smartest woman on the planet, but now, he wasn't so sure.

There was something else. Something more sinister, something more powerful, something more …. Mysterious and he would be damned if he let it stay a mystery any longer.

He would ponder over this issue in detail at a later date. Now, he had a whole day of Celebration. But this time, he would not yield. He would redouble his efforts to know what secrets lied within the domes of Capsule Corporation. That was a promise.

* * *

She pulled her Hoodie even more securely around her head. It would not do for her to be recognized. The yearly festive was barely an hour away and she would get hounded by those insane reporters.

She ran up the lawn and knocked twice on the door of Number 7. The door opened a few seconds later to reveal a bubbly blonde.

"Hey Videl" the blonde chirped.

She clamped her hand over her friend's mouth and pushed forward dragging her friend into the house.

Once the door was firmly shut she threw back the hood, walking towards the fridge for a nice cold drink whilst ignoring the angry glare of a certain blonde in the room.

Said blonde immediately pulled out a mirror from her waist pocket and checked her appearance, which hopefully hadn't been ruined by her friend's rough behavior.

"So, mind telling me what has gotten you so riled up" the blonde asked looking at her clearly agitated friend.

Videl's head whipped around to meet her friends gaze. The cool drink in her hand had done nothing to cool her agitation.

She sighed, "It's the same thing that happens every year Rase".

The blonde shot her a sympathetic look. Being the Princess of the Herculean empire was the most frustrating job. Not only was her friend drop dead gorgeous but she also had a sharp mind and intellect matched by few at their school. Orange Star High was a world class High School facility for the most intelligent and resourceful minds on the planet.

It was a fully residential institution with a diverse range of students with a technological infrastructure that was unmatched till date. While OSH short for Orange Star High occupied the top of the list at the School level, Arion University, which was around a hundred miles from OSH was the most sought after University for Undergraduate admissions in the world.

The fee and payment in both was nil for both the Best University and School in the world, courtesy the Savior of the World who resided in the same city. The huge amount of money donated by the Savior made it possible for the University to provide its students the Best of the Best, _free of cost_. The school's reputation spoke for itself as surveys had revealed that nearly 7.38% of the students in Arion had done their schooling at OSH

However, the number of admissions was minimal compared the demand it held on the blue-green planet. It had been Videl's dream to secure a place in the University ever since she had turned 12 years old. The University board of Governor's would gladly admit her even if she failed her 12th grade. But no, Videl wanted to earn her spot, and she most certainly would, given her standings as one of the top 5 students at OSH.

Erasa sighed, her mind jumping back to the problem at hand. Throughout the year Videl was forced to attend various balls and functions, a way of integration of the high society which included some of the still smaller Kingdoms, the High companies in the world, etc. Her status as the daughter to King Hercule meant that she was _expected_ to attend each of these functions even though her friend still skipped out on a lot of them, the key word being expected.

However there was one function that she had to attend at all costs. The biggest and largest in the world held every year on Herculean day, today.

It started with a morning speech from the king himself at around 10:00 and ended with a Ball lasting till 2 A.M the next morning. The reporters were particularly vultures during this part of the year. After all, What better way to celebrate the Kings Victory than uncovering some sort of Scandal. Videl was usually under a very close scrutiny, much more than the normal scrutiny by all during this particular week which made her more irritated and snappier than usual.

"Anyways Vi, don't you need to be at the palace getting ready for the Parade" asked Erasa honestly confused. The ball was in less than an hour.

"Ya, Ya, I just came here to get ready. Those bloddy Butlers-"

"Language Vi"

"-don't seem to know the meaning of Back off. I mean honestly, how many times do I have to tell them that I am not a little 7 year old who needs to be dressed up like a Barbie? You should see the clothes they pick out for me. I mean seriously, Who wears Pink? … Except for you"

She glared in response.

"Uhmmm .. I guess I'll go get ready now" Videl said dashing off into Erasa's bedroom.

The blonde sighed. It took less than fifteen minutes for Videl to get changed, apply a light bit of makeup, do her hair and come out looking stunning.

"Shall we" she asked gesturing towards the front door having gotten ready early in the morning.

Her friend held her head high as she walked out of the front door followed by an amused blonde, shaking her head at her friends public face, which was that of a snotty spoiled princess.

Videl quickly threw one of her capsules that morphed into one of the advanced jet-copters in the industry. It was not the latest nor the most advanced copter in the market as King Satan would want it but she knew her father did not get along well with Capsule Corporation for some unknown reason.

She didn't mind the reporters who came running out of nowhere as she jumped quickly aboard the copter followed by a blonde, soon leaving the reporters in the dirt as the exhaust from her jet created black marks on their tidy suits. The smirk on her face showed them how sorry she was.

* * *

Meanwhile in an adjacent street a raven haired youth was walking with his hands inside his pockets. He was whistling a low tune, an easy bright look on his face as he took in the sights of the marvelous technological city in front of him. Satan city was the second most advanced city in terms of modernity, technology and development and people in general. The first spot belonged to West City and will continue to belong to West City as long as it had the headquarters of Capsule Corporation and resident home of the Great Bulma Briefs.

The streets were clean and seemed to shine. The pavement even more so. Cars of various sizes and looks rushed past him, easily at a speed of 100 mph. hell, even the lampposts were spot free, every one of them. The raven haired youth looked up as a yellow colored copter rushed past the buildings.

He stopped in front of a dining restaurant, "Triana Multicuisine Restaurant" he read out loud.

His eyes locked onto the notice in white stuck on the window,"Required - Waiter". Just two words. He had first come across the notice two days back while shopping for groceries.

He stepped in to be assaulted the wondrous smell of various cooking's. Nearly all the tables were occupied. The TV was on broadcasting one of the King's fights from his days at the WMAT. The people in general were a happy bunch. They were either clinking glasses or laughing at some joke. The mode in general couldn't be more merrier. He walked towards the cash counter.

"Good Morning Sir" the raven haired youth greeted a man who looked to be in his seventies.

The old man looked up from the bills he was counting and gave a questioning look.

"I noticed the poster outside and would like to fill in the position of waiter" he said with a charming smile.

He felt himself under evaluation under the mans searching gaze. He didn't break eye contact nor did he blink. The man then gestured towards a door at the side.

It had "Mr. Stevens" written in bold letters.

"Thank you" he excused himself politely.

He knocked waiting for the muffled "Come in" before entering.

Inside sat a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He was smoking a cigar, while browsing something on his laptop. His eyes narrowed as he put out the cigar before gesturing him towards the seat in front of him.

"Good morning Sir, I saw a job opening outside on the window and would like to take it" he said. It was best to be short and blunt to the point. It always worked well with people who tended to run businesses or had any form of managerial job.

"You look quite young to wait tables" came the reply, "Shouldn't you be in school or something kid", It was not an unexpected question.

"I am in school sir" he clarified,"I just happen to have a lot of free time and I wish to spend it usefully".

The restaurant owner frowned.'The kid is probably gonna drop out of school' was his first thought.'He must be desperate, though I have to give him points for hiding it well' he thought. He looked the boy up and down and liked what he found. The boy was polite, well dressed and seemed composed. He didn't have that hopeful look that people often seemed to have when desperate. However one does not look for much while hiring a waiter. You could always fire the guy/girl and hire another one in case of mishaps. He was up for hiring the boy.

"How do you plan to attend school if you are going to work here all day" he shot instead which came with half a snarl.

"I was hoping that working full-time during the week-ends and only nights during all other days might qualify .."

"You won't get any days off that way" he interrupted.

"I don't need any" the boy said casually but determinedly.

He did not have a reply to that. He ended up giving the boy a standard employes form. The boy fished out a pen from his pocket and started filling it up. He settled for studying his new employee. On looking closely he noticed that the boy seemed to be wearing baggy clothes. Not too large but the size that would be next to his correct size. His face was handsome with a boyish look that few gained. His hair was inky black while his eyes were ... onyx. The most striking feature however was the gentleness that the boy radiated. People would call this guy _soft,_ but there was something in the boy the seemed to contradict the very statement.

As he was lost in thought, the boy finished the form and pushed it back towards him. He added 'Neat Handwriting' to his earlier list.

He raised his eyebrows seeing the word 'OSH' on the form. He felt sympathy for the kid who couldn't keep up with the standards of OSH. It was after all the best place for Schooling in the entire world. Still, the boy had to have some smarts since he was able to get into OSH in the first place.

He looked up into the eyes of the black haired onyx eyed boy, "You're hired Gohan Son".

* * *

 **Author Notes:**

Hey guys. Am back. with a new story. I will try to update often seeing as i am free, jobless and un-occupied for the next two months(Semester Holidays). To know about the updates for my other fics, kindly see my profile. I will update it in a while. Thank you and enjoy this new story. In case of any suggestions, criticism or reviews please feel free to PM me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter – 2**

 **A** _ **Real**_ **Job**

* * *

An Eagles view of Satan City, was nothing short of amazing. Sitting on top of one of the tallest buildings in Satan City, Gohan watched with a sense of excitement as the parade marched its way through the city. Hundreds of parents, especially those with children crowded the pavements along the main road of the parade. Most had their children hoisted on their shoulders, to give the excited little kids a great view. The people participating in the parade were mainly dressed as fictional characters, hence the children's excitement. Gohan watched the performers hand out balloons to every kid they could lay eyes on. The expression on the kid's faces was something that would be engraved in his memory.

His eyes flicked to the front of the parade and a frown appeared on his previously relaxed face. The parade was lead by _King_ Hercule Satan and his daughter _Princess_ Videl Satan. The expression of superiority on the face of Satan never failed to spark some or the other form of irritation in him. The man was the biggest fraud he had ever seen. All the money lavishes and fame the man had originated from a single obvious and cheap _lie._ How the man could live with knowing that the food he ate and the roof he rested under was from someone else's hard earned money remained a mystery to him.

His eyes shifted to the girl, _princess,_ sitting next to the fraud. Anyone who saw the girl would need only a single word to describe her, _snob._ Her nose was held high as she scowled any and all people along the way. She was the perfect imitation of a spoiled brat. But he knew that no one would comment on it. Oh, no, that would invite 3-4 weeks in jail should someone hear about. But very few even felt that way about the princess seeing as half the population, the male population was infatuated with the girl. Even he had to admit that the girl was good looking. But her current attitude did nothing change his first impression of a spoiled brat.

The _golden_ chariot that had both father and daughter seated was moving at a snail's pace, but soon it would disappear from Gohan's view, due to curve they were going to take and the taller building between them. He got up lazily, stretching his arms and legs. Watching the parade had left him feeling a bit stiff. He easily jumped into the air and flew off, arriving on the outskirts of Satan City.

He spotted his recent temporary residence and landed near it. Extending his Ki senses, he let out a satisfying grunt when he sensed no human nearby. Sighing, he walked into the cave, where a capsule bed and a few other essentials that he had managed to garner by doing odd jobs here and there, seeing as people weren't enthusiastic about hiring a teenage boy without fear of facing legal repercussions.

But that was in the past. He now had work, _real work_ ; starting tonight.

* * *

Videl sighed as she collapsed on her bed. The parade had been exhausting to say the least. She looked at her watch, 12:30. Her stomach rumbled. Damn, she needed something to eat. She took the phone beside her bedside table and dialed, 004. Her Butlers number in the mansion.

Half an hour later a satisfied Videl Satan walked out of her room, in her usual dress code, an oversized tee and sprinting shorts, her hair in two neat pigtails. She had a party to attend at 2:00, but it could wait. She would arrive at around 3:00 and hell, every one of those idiots would make an excuse for her. It was annoying and amusing as to how everyone forgot about the repercussions regarding her actions when they met her in person. She tried to not take advantage of these minor situations, but at times, many a times it was hard not to, especially when it meant she could shorten the length of time she spent around idiots who would either drool or suck up to her rather than hold an interesting conversation.

She arrived at the gym. At the sight of the punching bag, all thought left her mind as she rushed towards it was a look of rage on her face that would have most criminals pissing on sight.

It was 2:35 and she was sitting in a black limo. Hell, her dad's butler had managed to drag her to the party. If it had been up to her, she would have started from the mansion at 3. Her driver honked the horn impatiently. She arranged her seat so that she was directly under the air-conditioner.

'Holy Hell, it's bloody hot' she thought. If only she could have stayed at home. At least, it would be cooler at the _party_ than here, in this car.

She looked outside to see a boy stop on his way, before he ran back to read the number plate. His eyes widened before he practically pressed his face on the window to see her face.

"Holy Crap, It's the Princess" he practically yelled the last word.

Within seconds her car was crowded from all sides by people, mostly wanting to talk with the princess, some wanting an autograph, others a quick click with the princess. She face palmed in irritation, while watching in annoyance as her guard detail who were in the car behind hers literally rip off the crazy fans off her car. Soon, her limo was smoothly moving. She huffed, these kind of thing never failed to happen, even on her best days.

Fifteen minutes later saw the _princess_ , getting out of the limo at the royal palace. Hoards of reporters shouted all kinds of insane questions, though thankfully they were held at bay by her father's bodyguards. The flashes from the camera set her off, as she stopped and blinked repeatedly to get rid of the momentary distortion. It also gave her time to adopt the snotty spoiled brat attitude.

The moment she walked into the palace, all eyes were on her. She was wearing a low neck light blue strap on gown. The particular dress had belonged to her mother and was one of her many processions that her father had preserved. Her father, in a rare moment of fondness had said that she looked exactly like her mother in her teenage years, in that dress. Since then, this particular one had always been at the front of her closet. Though she had never worn it, it occupied a special place in her heart, until now. She had developed a sudden urge to wear it after her bath an hour ago. She had stared at the gown for over five minutes clad only in her towel before deciding to wear it.

As she walked the length of the hall towards her father she couldn't help but notice the stares coming her way. Many acknowledged her with a nod or with a greeting. She returned a few, to the few people in the hall whom she knew were respectable persons and not some brain-dead fool whose father had left him enough money to be recognized and invited to the party. She saw a man nudge his son and motion him towards her. The boy was openly gaping at her not even having the decency to fully close his mouth. The man was obviously trying to hook up his son with the _princess._ She had more often than not than come across her fair share of men who wanted to get into her pants, and she knew exactly how to turn them down.

She turned her head to the side, her hair, now free of the usual pigtails, bouncing off her shoulder emitting a gleam in the dim light of the hall that made the many want to run their hands through it. She adopted an arrogant expression, staring at the boy and his father as she passed, daring him to come and speak to her whilst at the same time getting the point across that he was very much _below_ her level. She finally broke eye contact with the boy and his father, abruptly turning her head away from them exhibiting an arrogant _sniff._

She reached her father and exchanged the usual formalities, before taking her place at his side while he entertained the various guests to the party, each of whom made it a point to come to her father and blabber some business rubbish deals, while trying as much as possible to flaunt their wealth. It was the same routine. She glanced at her watch, it read 3:30, Hell, she would be able to get away by 9 or 10 she hoped. She most definitely would not be staying beyond 10:30 seeing as she could barely remain civil to the idiots now, and they were a hundred times worse when they were drunk. After another hour, she politely excused herself to the bathroom, where she would spend the next fifteen minutes in front of the mirror in the pretext of adjusting her makeup. She needed to recharge her patience often to keep face in the parties.

* * *

Gohan woke up from his nap. He sat up on his bed yawning loudly, Hell there wasn't a human around for at least three miles, so no bother. It was five in the evening, he noticed seeing his watch. It was cheap one, which he had to maintain carefully considering his strength. He had already broken it twice, but he excelled at putting together thing, even from junk building a working model of something was his field. It was the reason he joined OSH. The school was the best in the world and though it had nothing to provide him with Arion University had plenty to teach him. The only way to get into Arion University was to have OSH in his resume, so a few weeks back he had taken the entrance exam to get into OSH along with thousands of aspiring candidates. The results were due in three days, but he knew he would pass, but that was not what he was interested in. He wanted to be at the top. He would never admit to being in second place.

The past six years, he had been doing all the jobs he was allowed to do earning as much money as he could everyday and spending more than eighty percent of it on books. The rest went to his clothes and other little tit-bit essentials here and there. He had assimilated a huge amount of knowledge, as much as he could while at the same time keeping up with his training. He was not naive enough to proclaim himself as the strongest in the universe but, he knew he was _close_.

If only he could jump over the edge and maintain what he knew to be the third level, he would lead a carefree life. But for now, he needed to meditate. He sat with his legs crossed. His earlier playful expression disappeared, now giving rise, to a look of pure concentration. A few minutes later his body slowly levitated into the air while a slight golden aura formed around him.

An hour and a half later saw the Demi-Saiyan still the same pose. It would seem to any observer that the boy had not so much as twitched, not a single muscle in his body had moved visibly, save for the steady rising and falling of his chest. The eerie silence was interrupted by a loud, in the silent atmosphere, beep coming from the raven haired boy's watch. It stopped after exactly five beeps as it was supposed to. Gohan slowly opened his eyelids, revealing his eyes to be bluish instead of the original onyx they had been at the time of closing. One could see the _power_ cackling in those eyes like lighting. An unbidden chuckle flowed out of the boy's throat as his face adopted an expression of mirth.

He was always in a jolly mood after his meditations. He jumped and sped out of the cave, scouting the sky for the nearest lake.

He landed with a soft thud, throwing the necessary supplies he had in a bag onto the ground, taking in the beauty in front of him. Stripping down to completely, he jumped into the lake. The water was cold, but it complemented nicely to the hot day earlier. Once he was a good five meters away from the shore, his eyesight sharpened. The zip of his bag slowly came undone, before the soap levitated out from the bag. His eyes narrowed and the soap shot towards him like a bullet. He easily caught it with a grin marring his handsome face.

Ten minutes later a well dressed Demi-Saiyan was flying at impossible speeds towards Satan City.

* * *

 **Gohan's POV**

I shot like a bullet, above in the air, out of the normal lives of the people below who remained unaware and ignorant as always. I landed on top of the fifty floor building, at the bottom of which was my new workplace. The terrace door was open, hopefully always, as I ran in and took the steps two at a time before arriving at the door without a single hair out of place and usual shortness of breath that's human's experienced.

6:56, it read on the digital clock on the wall opposite to the entrance. I patted off an invisible speck of dust from my shirt, before pushing the door and boldly walking in. I nodded towards the old man at the counter who simply stared at me in return, a verbally challenged person, maybe. I made it towards my new _Boss's_ office.

"… ean that you can't come" I heard the Boss yell. The raised voice and anger laced in the tone made my hands pause at the knob.

"Am so-orry boss, but I really need to be someplace else" the other man in the room whimpered.

"Then I'll consider it as your resignation" I heard the Boss's reply. His tone was now heavy.

"I-I- … p-please don't fire me sir. I need this job. My m-mum's in the hospital …. T-T-Th-h-he d-doctors have said that she won't make it past midnight",I was pretty sure that there were tears in the man's eyes now. I withdrew my hands from the door-knob. Death was natural. Even I couldn't save a dying person. And I was a big powerful eighteen year old bad-ass Saiyan.

The Boss sighed, but I knew it was in resignation.

"Fine, Take the night off, but let this be the last" the usual warning, laced with pity. Oh, how I hated _pity_. I would break the jaw of any idiot who would dare to give me that look.

"T-Thank you boss" the door opened and rather young man rushed past me.

"Oh, and Michael" the man turned towards the boss, he looked to be around 28, "I'm sorry for your mother" the Boss said with a sympathetic expression.

The rather handsome Mr. Michael simply nodded before rushing away.

I took advantage of the closing door to smartly step inside the room. I nodded towards my, _boss_.

"Mr. Son" the boss said.

"Sir"

"Punctual" he said looking at his desk side clock, "Good, you better keep it up, cause I don't tolerate tardiness" he got up from his desk and moved towards the cupboard towards his side.

I simply nodded in acknowledgement. People often said such harsh and rude kind of things, not because they meant it, but for the sake of establishing who the superior was. He was pretty sure he could outclass this, Mr. Stevens in any challenge, but he took it in the stride, there was no need to show any unnecessary emotion and to reveal who he really was. The man had given him a job straight out, without even an interview and he was grateful for it.

"Come here and pick your size " he growled.

I saw loads of suits lining the inside shelves. I smartly picked up the one a single size higher than mine. The boss nodded towards a door other than the one through which I entered. I went inside and saw what appeared to be loads of _files_ , a storage room of sorts. I quickly threw on the white shirt and the black coat on top of it. The tie and my pants went on next. I neatly folded my clothes and went out.

The Boss looked up and seemed startled for some reason. I knew I looked good. He coughed before gesturing me towards the same shelves this time towards the bottom ones. A few minutes later I was fully dressed, with a pair of shining black shoes replacing the old and ragged reddish ones I had on earlier. He seemed satisfied as he handed me a rectangular box with my name on the lid.

I took the box from him and placed my neatly folded clothes inside it. I closed the lid and placed my shoes my top of it. Balancing the entire thing under his right hand he looked up expectantly at his new boss.

"You don't talk much do you" he said.

I simply shrugged. An annoyed look entered his eyes before it vanished quickly. Maybe I should stop behaving like a smartass, yep, getting fired on the first day was not good, especially from a job where the pay was good.

"I prefer to observe and follow rather than express my opinion where it not needed, sir" I almost forgot the last word. My reply would hopefully convince the guy that I was waiter material. He simply frowned assuring me that that was not the case.

"Good, cause that is what I expect from you, Son. It is rather convenient that I am missing a guy for the party and you just happen to join. It is your first day, but you will not _mess_ up. You will follow every task I assign you without a single blunder. I will not let you bring down the name I have managed to create in a single day. Hopefully you will still be hired by morning" the Boss said in a single rant.

His eyes searched my face for any sign of anger or contempt at being told off, or told too, like a kid but my face was blank as I responded with a simple "Yes, sir". People were so easy to read. I had passed his test as he was seemingly satisfied with what he saw. Had he seen defiance, he would have not taken me with him, wherever the hell he was going.

"Now, please go and help Sally load the truck at the back. We leave at eight sharp" he said, and I simply nodded before walking towards the back. There had to be a back entrance.

The respect I had for Mr. Stevens upped by a point. He seemed polite enough to his employees. It was one of those characters that people who ran a business had, a hard exterior to keep things running. A small moment of compassion and vulnerability was all it took to have people taking things for granted.

I opened the back door to see a girl struggling to lift a container box. I crept towards her stealthily, like a predator towards its prey. She appeared to be loading what appeared to be a wine. Oh, they were providing alcohol for the party, great; my first day was going to be spent serving liquor to pompous rich fools who wouldn't know the difference between an egg and a golf ball.

"Need a hand Miss" I asked in a light voice.

As anticipated she dropped the container, making it an easy catch for me. She opened her eyes slowly, a few seconds later; a relieved expression appearing on her face as she saw the container securely in my arms. I gave her a small amused smile, cutting her scoldings for surprising her by a small pink blush along her cheeks.

It lasted only for a few seconds before her hands automatically went to her hips, "And who may you be Mr."

"Son, Gohan Son" I said my smile still in place.

"Sallana Sozmeri, Nice to meet you" she said studying me.

"I joined today Miss, and the Boss asked me to help you load the truck" I supplied helpfully.

"Ya, he told us about you, but, load the truck? What about Michael?" she asked with a look of confusion.

"Oh, unfortunately he had to go take care of his mom, so … I guess; you're kind of stuck with me"

"Poor Michael" she said, "and you can call me Sally, everybody does" she said the last part with a smile.

I nodded before loading the box into the back of the truck. Seeing me snapped her out of her daze and she went back to struggling with the next box. I simply went and picked up the next box. It was a bit slow, considering that I could do two, three, or even more than four boxes at a time but that would simply freak out the girl next to him.

"You must work out a lot" she puffed as she staggered towards the truck.

Carrying my third box, I simply nodded, "A little bit, I guess".

"Let me guess Satan Gym"

"Uh, No. I prefer to do my own set of work-outs. And Satan Gym is way too expensive for me" I added the last part so as to not offend her in case she was one of those Hercule fanatics, which was practically everyone.

"Oh I see. Then you must be pretty excited to be serving at his party" she said.

It was a good thing that she had her back turned, for she would have witnessed my ever composed expression of causality morph into one of pure horror.

The Universe did love its irony.

* * *

 **AN:** Hiya guys. Review please, how is the chapter, Criticism is welcome, always.

I just couldn't stop writing this story. I will try to update the others too. Enjoy and fell free to PM me any suggestions.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there folks, here's the next chapter. Cheers I have a new beta, which means that this story is going to get even more readable than before. Be sure to read the A/N at the end. For now enjoy the story!  
**

* * *

 **Beta Credits:** **Buckets Full O' Sunshine.**

* * *

 **First Meetings  
**

* * *

He sat silently as the truck rocketed towards the largest party hall in the city. , who was on the wheel, looked composed, but he could see the nervous excitement in the man's eyes. From what he had heard from Sally, the restaurant's reputation had increased to a level that they were now being called in to serve drinks at a party hosted by the king himself. It was the _king's_ bunch of managers who would have done the arranging anyways; the king himself probably wouldn't know the name of any restaurant in the city. He honestly didn't know why it was that big of a deal.

Sally had said that the tip was pretty high during functions such as these. There was a pretty big demand among the other workers back at the restaurant as to who would be picked by the boss. Knowing that the _newbie_ , him, had been selected would probably piss off quite a few. She hadn't said the last part out loud, and he hadn't read her, but it was a fairly obvious conclusion once the word _demand_ was used.

Oh well, who was he to say no to some extra money? Though now that he thought about it, he would be earning a decent amount from the tips alone. His salary, though not big enough, was something he desperately needed to add to his savings. How was he going to provide any information on who he was, where he lived, and all other sorts of data needed to enroll in a school? He had his passport and other small lists of documents such as his birth certificate and other things. However, once he crossed the age of eighteen, which he would in a few months, officially and not biologically, he needed some proofs—verifications to prove himself a citizen.

He was still in the process of saving money to buy a house. His savings for the last six years barely accounted to seventy percent of the amount needed to buy the kind house he had in mind. It was mainly because people _never_ hired children who were thirteen or even fourteen. He had made little to nothing during those years, but his growth spurt, some fake beards, a cap, sunglasses, and a fake cigar had made getting a job in manual labor much easier.

He made quite a bit of money in being a woodcutter _._ A circular disc of ki had taken down scores of trees in seconds. Then, it was a matter of time carrying a believable amount of wood to the nearby towns to get a pay. He never went to the same buyer twice. But, his guilty conscience made him quit that particular occupation. He loved trees having lived alongside Mother Nature for the first decade of his life.

Thereafter, his savings grew quite a bit through a _lot_ of manual labor which was nothing compared to his workout afterwards. Another main problem was his need to carry cash always on hand. He couldn't possibly open a bank account as and when he liked; he had to be eighteen, so all of his savings were currently inside a small storage capsule inside a gem hanging around his neck. No one could possibly mug him, so he was pretty much established.

"You alright there, kid?"

He fought off the annoyance that threatened to show on his face at the word "kid."

"Just spaced out a bit," he mumbled as his boss grunted in response.

"We're almost there so get your act together. Mr. Son, we have a reputation to uphold." This was supposedly his boss's way of exhibiting his nervousness.

They drove through the gates once his boss flashed them his entry card, verifying that they were authorized to enter. The security checks took a bit of time as the guards made a show of waving their sensors all over the place, preferring to show off their jobs as important rather than do it properly. There were guards all over the place, all carrying the latest weapons and gadgets. He was pleased to note that they were very much in order and not just bumbling all about the place like a bunch of morons. At least not all of the security was incompetent. His expectation to see incompetence was manly due to having seen how the Satan city police perform.

The boss drove the truck towards the back entrance where he saw some similar trucks. Gohan recognized trucks with insignias belonging to some popular food restaurants—all five stars—standing nearby. The time was eight twenty-five so dinner must be in progress. He got out of the van and went back to help Sally load the crates onto a mini vehicle that they could drive inside to the waiting counter. There, they would carry the drinks to the main hall serving station at nine o'clock sharp. His boss had been pretty clear on the instructions during the ride.

There were secondary security checks on everyone and everything that went inside the building. He had had to admit that they were very thorough in their work. No metal was allowed inside the hall. It took some time with getting the crates cleared, but in the end he and Sally loaded the crates on top of some hovering vehicle from Capsule Corp.

He and Sally waited on the _transporter_ thing. He had no idea what the vehicle he was currently sitting on was named, save for the Capsule Corp. logo and numbers on the side. Meanwhile the boss went past the waiting counter and past a door.

"Have you ever been to this place before?" he asked Sally in a low tone.

"No, but I have been to similar ones, although I have to admit that this is the biggest and grandest out of all of them," she replied.

"How does the boss expect us to serve all those people inside all by ourselves? I mean, there has to be close to around five hundred people at the least inside." It was a logical question on Gohan's part.

"Oh. Well, we won't be the ones serving. We'll just be setting up the bar, serving the drinks on plates and handing them over to the waiters who work here. It's their job to make sure that every guest has a glass in their hand." She shot Gohan a weird look.

"Oh," was all he said. He was, after all, completely new to this profession.

"You're completely new to this, aren't you?" she asked in a tensed voice.

"Was it too obvious?" he asked with a sheepish expression.

"Please, tell me that you at least know how to handle alcohol?" she pleaded.

"Ummm … handle?" was his reply or question.

She face-palmed. He didn't understand why she was getting so worked up.

"Hey, you'll be there with me, right?" he asked.

"Not always." She sighed, looking a bit irritated. "Look you can't always rely on me …" She started to rant but stopped, seeing his face. He gave her his patented puppy dog look. He didn't know why, but it always worked on girls like a charm.

And, it didn't disappoint.

"You better adapt fast," she half grumbled, half glared in his direction.

He gave her his best winning smile in return, making her turn away, and taking the glare off her face.

"I will try my best, Sally," he said sincerely and she nodded happily.

The boss returned back in a hurry. Gohan and Sally each picked up a crate and followed him dutifully. It was hard not to see the excitement in their boss's step. He was mumbling to himself about all the plans and other agendas he had. They passed many doors, each one having a number marked on it. The path seemed like a curve and Gohan had a good idea that each opened into the Grand Hall. They reached one marked as "Entry 209."

"Get started, both of you," he said in a hurried tone, opening the door for them and leaving the key in the hole before hurrying off further down the corridor.

They entered to find themselves in a small bar with only a semi-circular desk separating them from the party hall. It was empty, save for a few couples here and there on the couches. There were shelves all around the door with lots of glasses. He deducted that the glasses needed to be removed and be replaced with the bottles in the crate. Sally set the crates down before getting a look around, trying to familiarize herself with the new location where she would be working in for the next five-to-six hours.

"Hey Sally, listen. Why don't you get things ready over here while I fetch the rest of the crates?" he asked suddenly, a good idea forming in his head. He was imposing on her as it is by practically knowing nothing on serving drinks. She was a girl and he couldn't imagine her having to carry the big boxes all the way from the waiting counter. It was only fair that he did the manual work.

She gave him a wide smile. "Thank you, Gohan."

He smiled back before turning back towards the waiting counter.

By the time he came back with the third box, Sally was already serving a guest with rum, as written on the bottle in her hand. The rather porky-looking man took away three glasses of the liquid towards a couch where a blonde was animatedly chatting with her friend. He saw the three of them clink their glasses before downing the liquid in a single gulp. He had five more crates to bring back, and Sally had barely started arranging the bottles.

Twenty minutes later, he was obediently placing the bottles here and there, just following instructions, courtesy to Sally, who seemed quite pleased with the arrangement.

"Thank goodness that's over. I'm quite glad that you replaced Michael," she said with a satisfied look, wiping the bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead with a small towel.

"Why's that?" he asked, plopping down on a stool on their side of the counter.

"Are you kidding me?" She gave him an incredulous look. "There is no way in hell that Michael would have been able drag half of those crates over here without exhausting himself. You did that easily, without breaking a sweat, might I add. I would have ruined my makeup and dress carrying the crates, not to mention the work of laying out the various items." She gestured towards the shelves, which looked pretty neat in his opinion.

"Well, I am quite glad it worked out." He gave her an honest smile. "Now, how about you teach me how this place works?"

"Well, you sure do sound like a workaholic, Mr. Son," she said, chuckling.

Seeing his raised eyebrows, she realized that he was being serious in asking her. Composing herself, she began, "The first thing you need to know about wine is …"

What followed was a thirty-minute long explanation on the types of wine, alcohol, glasses, flavors, the mixing part and various other facts he didn't know that existed until she had told him. He easily picked up everything she had said, absorbing it like a dry sponge dipped in water. His mother had always said that he was a bright child, taking after her and not his dad, though he didn't know whether being bright was a necessity in the resume of a bartender.

For the next half hour, he spent watching her interact with the various guests of the party, helping her here and there, fulfilling a few requests such as fetching a drink from the top shelf, filling up the plate with drinks, and getting a few exotic and rare bottles from the truck.

The boss himself made appearances here and there, quite satisfied that he and Sally had gotten a balance. He confessed to having forgotten that he was new to the job and praised Sally for having managed and taught the Demi-Saiyan the tricks of the trade.

He observed how she smiled even when the perverted old men, who probably had a bunch of grand kids back at home, shamelessly flirted with her just because she was the barmaid. That was one part; his meditation would be of immense help for the temptation to punch these idiots right in the face was too much. He could see that the stereotypes of the city, or the world he should say, had gathered here at the king's party. Well, Hercule didn't disappoint the opinion that Gohan had formed on him.

He saw the king himself enter the party hall, having done with his dinner with his daughter at his side. Immediately, the biggest bunch of ass-kissers threw themselves at his front, practically sucking up to the king for all it was worth. Hercule, for his part, seemed to be quite the show off, he observed. The king appeared aloof with an expression of superiority on his face that made him snort in amusement. His daughter seemed to share his superiority complex, for she seemed to be glaring at anything and everything that came in her path.

A few boys, along with a group of giggling girls, approached the king and showed their respect. Hercule, in return, simply gave them a smile, his first one at the party before nudging his daughter towards the gang of teenagers. The princess, for her part, simply glared at her father before following a red-haired boy, who seemed excited to talk to her, towards the couches on the side. These were the next generation of stereotypes in the society, the children of the supposed high circle of society.

He stopped from thinking further, remembering the words of his father. _'Never judge someone because they are different than you, Son. In life it will never help you when dealing with people.'_ He didn't even know these kids and yet here he was, making assumptions as to how monstrous they would turn out. True, they had a completely different life than him up until this point, but to judge them for how they had been brought up and to form opinions based on that, no, he won't be that narrow minded. He would reserve his judgments till he saw their actions and behavior, but the chances of him seeing these kids again, let alone interact with them were pretty low.

Ha, even now, seven years later his dad still influenced his life through his little comments on life here and then. He missed his dad's sudden moments of wisdom and carefree face, his warm hugs that would take away any and all reservations and worry out of him. _If only he could go home._

Ruthlessly crushing the thought, he turned his attention to filling the glasses with wine, red wine to be precise. He neatly assembled it onto a plate, fifteen glasses on one plate before carefully handing it to the waiter who went around making sure everyone was appropriately drunk.

"Gohan," Sally called.

"Huh?" He turned towards her to see a disgusted look on her face.

"Will you manage things for a few minutes? I-I need to go to the restroom," she said in a rather high pitched tone.

He glanced beyond her to see the old man from earlier wobbling away with an entire bottle of scotch in his hand. The lid was lying behind him with the contents of the bottle spilling and staining the carpet below as he wobbled back to his ladies.

"I need to change my vest," she said sighing. It was then that he noted the black stain on it.

"Do you have a spare?" he asked.

"Yeah, but its back in the truck," she said with a grimace.

"Make it quick. I'll try to hold the fort till then," he replied, confident that he could handle any guest or maggot that wanted a drink.

"I'll be back in a jiffy," she said, hurrying away and muttering about drunken old perverts.

He bent down and opened a new crate, taking out each bottle and arranging them on the shelves. With the rate at which these people consumed alcohol, he was amazed as to how there was still some left in the world. Admittedly this was a big function, hosted by the king himself, but he was pretty sure that other birthday parties, and as such ones of the big shots, would be nearly at this level. Speaking of big-shots, he had seen plenty of them since coming.

While cities like these had reached a pinnacle of development, there were still a lot of unsolved problems in the countryside. He had worked mostly away from the cities up until now. He knew about the kind of difficulties that people faced over there, from lack of proper public facilities to food shortage and unemployment.

He stepped back to admire his work. It looked kind of flashy with all the drinks in order and with light reflecting off the bottles, giving the entire shelf a glamorous finish.

He whirled around to an incessant tapping on the wooden counter behind him. He eyes met the light blue cerulean ones of Princess Videl Satan. The scowl on her face did nothing to change his first impression on the girl.

"Get something for me," she said tersely. "Strong," she added after a second thought.

He slowly bent below the counter, retrieving a bottle of half empty vodka. He took a glass and poured till it was three-fourths full. He placed it in front of her before taking a towel and walking towards the mess that the old man had created by spilling the drink on Sally's dress.

* * *

Videl was getting along pretty decently. She followed her father's lead throughout the party. She disappeared often but made it a point to show her face to the guests once in a while to keep her father sedated. Dinner was as arranged at eight o'clock sharp. It started off with a small speech from her dad. He spoke for a few minutes before signaling for the feast to begin.

The food was good, excellent in Videl's opinion, though the blonde who was sitting in front of her did manage to complain about the chicken being under heated. The dish was immediately replaced, of course. The boy, a braggart in her opinion, then gave her a look that implied that he had done her a favor in getting the dish replaced.

"You should try the _Thai red curry,_ Videl. It's absolutely scrumptious," he said, pushing the bowl of gravy towards her.

"No, thank you. I'm all full," she said with a fake smile on her face.

"Then some dessert, maybe?" he pressed.

Who was this guy? She fought down the annoyed look that threatened to appear on her face. "Actually—"

The boy rudely interrupted her by snapping his fingers. The waiter came bustling over, a look of worry on his face. ' _Poor man,'_ she thought, feeling sorry for the guy who had to take orders from the blonde braggart.

"Ask your chef to send in the desert for tonight in plenty. Tell him that Mathew, son of Mr. Strong, has specifically ordered it for the _princess._ Also, let him know that my father owns most of the restaurants in town." The waiter was literally sweating bullets as he practically ran back to his boss.

Videl almost scowled at the word "princess" but let it pass. It was common knowledge that she hated that title. It made her out to be some precious porcelain doll that had to be protected at all times. She was not fragile. She was a strong, hard, and _independent woman_.

The rude boy, though, had no sense of etiquette or manners, asking for dessert while the main course was still in progress. Tormenting an older man for the sake of a _power-play_ over her did nothing to improve his score in her book, but then again, she rarely met people whom she would develop a respect for at these parties.

She looked over to the other table, the one where all the older filthy rich were seated, including her father, who for that matter was engaged in a pretty strong conversation with a redheaded woman. She scowled openly; her dad had no shame.

"Won't you get me some dessert too, Mathew?" a new voice purred from the blonde's left, and Videl's eyes fell on a black-haired beauty with chocolate brown eyes.

"Of course, Elizabeth. How can I say no to a beauty such as you?" he said with what he thought was a charming smile.

"So, how goes your summer assignment, Videl?" the bespectacled boy on her right, who had been silent up until now (who also happened to be her classmate), spoke up.

"It's going well. I still have two-to-three pages left," she replied.

"Must be weird huh, to have to write about the law reforms done by your own father," he commented lightly.

"A little bit, yeah," she admitted.

"Cool. My dad talks about the king from time to time, seeing as he's the head of the R&D for the military. I'll, of course, be taking over my dad's company after I graduate from Arion with a master's degree," he said, making her face-palm. Was there anyone out there willing to do their own thing and not just plan on making a future out of their family's wealth?

"Speaking of Arion, you'll definitely be there,won't you, Videl?" he asked with a knowing smile. He knew that she was the only person in the world who could get into Arion University without passing the loaded and extremely difficult entrance exam that had a reputation of making students throw up in the middle of the exam due to the sheer amount of stress.

"I don't know. I have a pretty hard time dealing with math" she said with uncertainty, trying to sound weak. She remembered the time before the exam when she spent trying solve those differential equations and being unsuccessful in every attempt.

"That's true, Vi. You are a bit weak in math. After all, that's the edge that has me at the top and you in second—"

' _Talk about modesty,'_ she thought with more than a bit of scorn.

"—But, I could always tutor you," he said, sounding hopeful.

"That's very nice of you, Mark," she said with a smile, trying to come up with a sweet rejection other than _no way in hell_.

"Is that a yes or a no?" he pressed on.

"Well, would I ever resist from asking for your help Mark?" she asked him with a small smile.

"No, I guess," he said with a goofy smile.

She simply smiled back before moving on to the dessert in front of her. She saw that Mathew was busy explaining about his father's business and profits to that Elizabeth girl. When their eyes met, the girl's face adopted certain smugness that internally caused amusement to course through Videl's body for the first time that day. The smug look was the best that the jealous girl could do against her what with her status as the _princess_ and all.

"Once again I thank each and every one of you for being present at my party." Her father was up with a mike in his hand, signaling the end of dinner.

"We here represent the very best that the human race has to offer. I know for a fact that we will be the ones to lead our species to the pinnacle of development. To a new era, I say," the King proclaimed, raising his glass in respect. Nearly everyone repeated the gesture. "That is why I am pleased to inform you about the formation of a legendary event."

At the word "event," everyone was literally hanging off the words of their king, not that they weren't already. Hercule smiled patiently waiting for the mutterings to cease.

Hercule snapped his fingers and her dad's butler came in carrying a projector with a drive hooked up on its side. She narrowed her eyes as her brain tried to come up with a logical conclusion to the mystery before her. Her dad had always confided in her each and every one of his moves, whether it be political or economical. To be ignorant of something as big as this was not in her script.

The projector was switched on facing the flop down screen and the words, _"_ The Next Big Thing," appeared on the screen. Her dad nodded towards two people at his table. Mr. Strong and Mr. Reese, who happened to be the dads of the idiots next to and in front of her. The two of them walked towards her dad and settled on either side of him.

"In association with my colleagues here, I have planned for an exclusive Satan City Martial Arts Tournament." He tapped the remote he had in his hand and a large poster bearing the words SMAT appeared on the screen.

The people in the room went berserk, mostly the Martial Artists in the room. All of them started talking at the same time.

"Now, calm down, please," her father yelled, albeit a bit sharply, making the room go silent.

He composed himself. "Now, as I was saying, the SMAT, Satan City Martial Arts Tournament, will be held in exactly a week." There was more excited mutterings. "Due to some last minute difficulties we had to postpone the event, but make no mistake ladies and gentlemen, this will be a major event every year to be held on the anniversary of the Cell Games." The mutterings ceased at the mention of the Cell Games.

"Yes," Hercule yelled, raising his tone a few pitches, "the Cell Games. Tell me, isn't it about time we created something happy on the day of our utmost terror? Don't you think it's time we showed not only people like Cell but also frauds who resort to tricks the _true_ meaning of the word, martial arts? I say that it is time we establish the day that was once spent in _fear_ as one of _power,"_ he finished with a raised fist.

The entire room gave an enthusiastic roar. Videl couldn't help the adrenaline that flowed through her after her father's speech. She looked around to see Mathew excitedly telling anyone who would listen about all of his personal martial arts instructors. Mark had a grimace on his face, showcasing his feelings on martial arts. Ronnie the red-haired boy, whom she had narrowly beaten at the junior level WMAT last time, who also happened to be only a few seats away from her, gave her a competitive smirk. She returned one, likewise sealing the deal.

"Before we get to the party I would like to share a few more details about the SMAT," Hercule said, grabbing everyone's attention once again.

"The registrations will start tomorrow at midnight and will be on for the next twenty-four hours." A few mutterings broke out. "Yes, I am fully aware that there is a limited amount of time for the registrations, but due to some uncooperative actions from the side of Capsule Corp., we are hard-pressed for time. Hence, we need the complete list of candidates as soon as possible."

"And before any of you ask about the general public, I have put together a special team to put up posters and spread the news far and wide so there is no need to worry about the lack of information." He paused for a moment to make sure that everyone was satisfied and had no queries.

"Now moving towards the venue," here,Hercule's grin turned predatory, "I seem to remember quite a few people who were against me two years back when I bought the entire sector in the middle of the city and closed it off. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused economic or personal to any one of you or my people.

"But yes, people, you guessed it right. I have spent the last two years transforming it into the world's biggest martial arts stadium. And that is not all, ladies and gentlemen. All further WMAT tournaments, including the one coming up in four months' time, will be held there. And not only WMATs, all and every major martial arts tournaments will from now on be conducted there and there only." Polite clapping ensued though many had the look that said that they wanted to do more than clap.

"If there is a martial arts event worth watching then I can assure you people that it will be at Satan Martial Art Stadium," he said, earning howls and shouts of appreciation.

Videl tuned out the rest of her dad's speech as he went into detail about the facilities and infrastructure, capacity and technology involved at the stadium. Only one thing registered in her mind: Her dad was going over the limit. Building a stadium, that too on their name, was crossing an invisible line that she wouldn't dare. Her intelligent mind worked in speeds far ahead of those around her as she calculated the net worth of such a complex, the economic and political repercussions and advantages of building such a structure, and that, too, in the middle of the city.

It was obvious to her that her dad considered this as a lifetime investment. She could imagine the amount of money that he would make in the first. She absentmindedly cut out a piece of dessert from the cake in front of her as she contemplated her dad's move. She had not missed the not-so discrete mention of Capsule Corp. in her dad's speech. To openly oppose Bulma Briefs was not something she expected from her dad. It seemed that the confidence of his new investment had boosted his already inflated ego. They needed to talk. Not now, but in private and soon, hopefully tomorrow.

"What about the reward, Mr. Satan? Surely for such a widespread competition, there has to be a healthy reward," one of her father's lapdogs piped up.

Hercule simply smiled.

"Of course, Mr. Donald. Anyone who manages to win a tournament hosted by the WMAT champion deserves a huge reward. I say, a hundred thousand Zenni, to the person who manages to win the SMAT with cash prizes included for the top three." He silently observed the mutterings among the crowd with an amused smile. He knew that the cash prize was too low.

"And," he paused for a dramatic effect, "a voucher, to train with me, _personally_ , in the Satan Gym…" the people held their breaths in shock, "till he or she wishes," he finished, letting the depth of the offer sink in.

She looked around to see the ambition in the youngsters around her. Only the best of the best ever got to train with THE Hercule Satan, and that was only three to four times week. To be a part of that was phenomenal for them. A life's goal some would say, but it was easy money for her dad. The amount was just one-tenth of the WMAT and her dad would win the coming WMAT for sure. It was profit on top of profit for him, a win-win situation to be precise.

She stood up and walked gracefully towards her father. He was getting congratulated for his plans by the mayor and his wife.

"Dad, a word," she whispered, placing her arm on his shoulder.

"Sure, sweet pea," he said, breaking away politely from the next fan boy and girl.

Once they were in the corner of the room alone, he said with a sigh, "I know what you want to talk about, sweet pea."

Her eyes narrowed but she didn't comment.

"Look sweetheart, your old man is getting old. It's as simple as that," he said, making it up as though those words would somehow make her see the light that he was up for.

"Dad, you don't need any more money," she said in a pleading tone, one she rarely used. She lost count of the number of times they had had this particular conversation.

"It's not about money sweet pea," he placated.

"Then tell me what it is about, Dad. Is it fame? God knows how much the people worship you. Or is it for me? As you are so fond of saying nowadays," she said, allowing a bit of sharpness to slip into her tone.

"Videl," he said, allowing his own irritation into the conversation before composing himself. "Videl, whatever I do, I mean everything I do, is for you and you alone. I will do anything to keep you happy."

"Dad, please spare me the sentimental crap. You and I both know that it's not going to work. I want t…" She stopped, seeing _the look_ directed towards her. He had seldom been angry with her, even when she had been on her worst bitchy behavior.

"We will talk about this later. Please, not now," he said in a resigned tone, the anger that had been there a second ago now nil, making her wonder if there was an ulterior motive for all her dad's actions.

"Now, walk with me to the party. I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. No, don't give me that look, my little princess." Her face pinked a bit at the word. Her father had called her a princess since she had been a little girl, before the Cell Games and all that ruler of the world crap. It made her feel warm on the inside that he still remembered those times with _Mom_.

They entered the hall and many people came forward to congratulate her father again. Geez, these people needed to get a life.

Her dad nudged her towards a group of teenagers who were her own age, just from different schools. She gave him a dirty look before allowing herself to be guided to the couch by Ronnie.

"So, how are you, Videl?" he asked.

"Fine, just good. How about yourself? Last I heard, you had won some tournament and an invite to your part was on my inbox" she replied.

"Nah, it was easy, not that big of a challenge." He waved it off, but the pride in his eyes was hard to miss.

She had known Ronnie for six years, ever since she had come out on top at the WMAT. He was not a person who she actively interacted with, but someone she knew more than just by name. He had tried and failed the entrance exam to OSH, but he had gotten a full scholarship at Medieval High, OSH's biggest competitor in terms of sports and the second largest school in the city. She knew him to be a bit arrogant; she sighed, seeing that it had toned down only a bit. There had been complaints on him for assault on other fellow students. She only knew of this because of her close uncle-like relationship with the police chief.

However, knowing his dad though, he would do anything to keep such incidents under the wrap. Overall, he was a good person who could be quite reckless at times and easy to anger, not to mention quite attractive. She blushed a bit at the thought; even she had to admit that those reddish curls gave him a roguish kind of look. Despite all these factors, she hardly interacted with him. It may be because she seldom attended those functions and parties all the kids her age loved to be a part of, choosing to spend her free time helping out the police force fight the horrendous crime gangs of Satan City.

Her friends, two people she would trust with her life, were Erasa and Sharpener. It was mainly because the three of them had known each other since way before the Cell Games. The trio always did things together, making it impossible for anyone else to get close to her, although she did maintain a pretty decent relationship with a few others in her class.

"…re a joke. You should see them, just standing there scared out of their skin." The group around her laughed, including Ronnie.

"Videl does work with them. She should know more about this than any of us." A girl, whose name she didn't know, giggled.

Seeing her confused look, Ronnie explained, "We're just talking about the incompetence of the Satan City Police Force," he said as though they were talking about the weather.

"Well, it's the best they can do with the limited amount of funding they are provided," she shot back, defending the people she often worked with and knew quite well.

"Be that it may, it doesn't dispute the fact that they are useless," a black-haired boy put in his two cents, the rest of the group except Ronnie nodding, not realizing the anger welling up inside Videl.

"The only reason that they have even an ounce of respect in this city is because of you, Videl," another idiot put in, getting nods from all the boys in the group.

"But one person isn't enough to take care of the entire city," Cassandra put in. She was the daughter of a well-known millionaire in Satan City. Her dad had shares in nearly every business of the city.

"True, but we do have to commend Videl for her admirable performance." Mathew had joined the conversation, settling in a nearby seat with Elizabeth on his lap who huffed a little bit, not that anyone paid her any attention. She stood up suddenly, a sweet smile on her face.

"I need a drink," she said slowly, breaking away from the group. She vaguely heard a shout or an offer to get her one, but it didn't register in her mind. Her legs worked on automatic as she walked towards the nearest bar.

She saw the guy who worked there admiring the shelves with a stupid grin on his face. She tapped the counter impatiently, drawing his attention towards her.

"Get something for me," she said. "Strong," she added after a second thought.

He had an easygoing expression on his face as he slowly bent below the counter, retrieving a bottle of half-empty vodka. He took a glass and poured till it was three-fourths full. He placed it in front of her before taking a towel and walking away.

She plopped down on the stool in front of the counter, taking a sip, allowing the burning liquid to slowly ooze past her throat.

She watched as the guy, who appeared to be pretty young, used the towel to clean up a mess of liquid on the counter. He carefully wiped off the liquid before dropping the towel in a bucket of water below.

"Hey," she heard a male voice as a person slid into the seat next to her.

She turned to see Ronnie. She simply nodded.

"You should know that _I_ really appreciate what you're doing for this city, Videl. Not many have the same dedication," he said in a soft tone.

"I don't need to hear that Ronnie," she replied tersely.

"Yes, you do," he interrupted her. "Everyone needs to have their achievements recognized once in a while, even a person like you."

She didn't say anything.

He sighed. "Hey. You there, get me a glass of champagne," he ordered towards the barman.

Ronnie didn't notice the flash of irritation that crossed the young man's face before it vanished without a trace. She did, feeling sorry for Ronnie who she thought really needed some lessons on how to treat people. Though, she was also annoyed at the bartender for showing a face at her acquaintance for such a small issue. Getting ordered rudely or politely was part of the job description, and if he didn't know that, then he should have chosen a different profession. Then again, he did seem very young, about her age only she would say if she took a guess.

A glass of champagne appeared in front of Ronnie who took it in stride, downing it in a single gulp, his eyes never once straying from her.

"Satan City needs people like you, Videl, strong people like you to fight crime." The bartender snorted, making her eyes narrow in anger. "And as for the funding part, I'll talk to my dad to see what he can do. What about that huh?" he gave her a roguish smirk, not having heard the rude guy near them.

"That's very nice of you, Ronnie," she replied with a small smile of her own.

"Only for you, Videl," he said seriously. His phone rang loudly, making him curse something about ruining the moment. He excused himself after seeing the caller screen and she smiled politely.

Her smile vanished and her eyes narrowed in on the guy in front of her who was arranging the used plates in a neat pile, dropping the empty bottles back into a crate. He was whistling a small tune that was annoying the hell out of her.

He looked up to meet her eyes for a second. She hardened her glare, making it pretty obvious that she was looking at him. He went back to whatever he was doing, seemingly unfazed by her, a reaction she that was totally new to her.

"One more glass, please." She literally ground out the last word.

He came over and casually poured the rest of the bottle into her glass before tossing it into the waste pile.

"You seem apathetic to my presence" she said, starting casually.

He shrugged. When she thought he wasn't going to reply, he asked innocently, "Oh, Why would you think that Miss Satan?"

"Isn't it your duty to be impressed by your king, and by that, his daughter?" she asked hoping to annoy the guy.

"Is it Miss Satan?" he asked, annoying her.

"Yes, it is," she snapped.

"Then, _dutifully_ ," he stressed the word, "I am impressed by the _king_ and his daughter," the guy managed to say that as sarcastically as possible. Seeing her look of utter disbelief, he chuckled before walking away.

"Get back here. I'm not done with you!" she yelled, though most of it was drowned by the background music.

He stopped and turned to give her an amused look.

"Now, tell me why you don't find my work impressive?" she was blunt and straight to the point. She should have adopted her interrogation tone from the beginning.

He chuckled again, the sound giving her a sense of warm comfort, but she shook it off. "What work would we be talking about now, Ms. Satan? I am afraid that you have me at a loss."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't play dumb with me. I noticed the disdain on your face when my police career was mentioned." She was close to snapping.

His amused expression disappeared, only for a second "I just don't think it is fair," he said simply.

"Not fair?" she repeated. The words sounded odd in her mouth. "Explain," she demanded.

"Well, tell me, Miss Satan. Why you do what you do?" he asked.

"What do you mean? If you are referring to my crime fighting, then I do it because I want to help people," she replied.

"And what makes you think you are eligible to fight crime?" he asked quickly.

"Well, I'm … strong."She tried to come up with a suitable answer.

"Have you undergone any special training like the police do? Or perhaps a four year extensive military training?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Well, no but—"

"Then do you have any qualifications under your belt to prove that _you_ are competent enough to deal with criminals?" he interrupted again.

"Hey, look here—" she started.

"Have you been instructed on how to deal with situations that may involve other people's _lives_? Are trained enough to take on that big of a responsibility?" He was on a roll.

She glared at him. "I am the daughter of Hercule Satan, the strongest man on Earth. Of course—"

"Which is why you fight crime, even though you have none of the above qualifications," he interrupted again, this time with a look of pity.

"Are you saying that I am fighting crime only because of my dad's fame?" she asked through gritted teeth, the anger on her face projecting a deadly aura.

"I am sorry," he said, surprising her, "but that is exactly what I am saying," he said with a sad smile, turning her surprise back into anger.

"I earned my spot among the police because of _my skill_ and _my talents_ alone," she yelled.

"Then tell me, Miss Satan. Why are you the only teenager fighting crime in the city? Why hasn't there been a teenage crime fighter before?" he said.

"Maybe, because they don't have the ambition to help people" she shot back.

"So you are telling me that in a city of more than 20 million people, you are the only person with the ambition to help people that you are the only one who wants to play hero"

"I didn't say that–" she started.

"Oh, but you implied it. So I'm asking again Miss Satan, why you the only one _trying_ to play hero?" he repeated.

"Well, maybe because no one was up to the job. Maybe they weren't as good as me," she replied hotly, missing out on the word "trying" in her anger.

"Being a good Martial Artist is hardly the eligibility criteria to become an officer of the law Miss Satan. Kata's aren't going to help you against bullets and sometimes even knives" he said patiently.

"It's simple. Let me put it this way, Miss Satan. Hypothetically, take away your father, completely out of the picture. Envision yourself walking into the police station with nothing but a belt proclaiming you were the junior level WMAT champion six years back, a title you don't even currently hold considering your age, requesting a job amongst policemen, solely because you believed that you were a better martial artist who has had a minimum of four years of police _training."_ He stopped to sigh for a moment. "You will be the biggest joke in that police station for at least a decade."

Seeing the stunned look on the girl's face, he continued, "Though you may be arrogant enough to believe that you are the best martial artist out there, in the world, I don't think you will be the best even in this city of twenty million because no matter how good you are, _there is always someone better out there_ ," he said with a sad smile. "And even when you are the best, there is no certainty that you deserve whatever you have."

 _So please, Miss Satan. Don't expect me to be impressed by your work._

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Hey guys. Pretty big chapter huh. Ya, I'll try to limit the word count at 5000 from now on. It ensures frequent updates. I have a lot of free time this June and July, so updates will be pretty quick. But after that, I can't say for sure though once every two weeks is possible.

Gohan, as you can see has been living independently for the past six years Please understand that this is essential for the kind of Character that I am building on top of the carefree naive child he was at 11. Don't judge my story based on Gohan''s character alone. It will be a mix of ups and downs for both him and Videl.

Taking Bulma's help and doing something is good, but my Gohan has not been in contact with the Z-gang for six years. I want Gohan to succeed. I really do, but only on his own hard work and intelligence. I don't want him to use bulma's money or influence no matter what. My Gohan will be always **Independent.**

Last Chapter, I have done a huge error with the POV thing, so please forgive me for that mishap. I thank everyone who pointed out that flaw to me. Same now, any flaw in the above chapter, Review or even PM me. I appreciate it.

Also, introducing my partner in crime, Anne. She's gonna be my Beta and we hope to provide you with some good content.

Thank you and have a nice day !


	4. Chapter 4

**Choices**

* * *

Videl Satan had her entire world crashing around her. An unknown stranger had just completely and utterly abused her sense of achievement degraded her dignity and worst of all shattered her pride. The worst part was that she wasn't able to come with any sort of explanation or argument to prove her wrong. By admission of her own facts and words he had logically destroyed her.

She wasn't anything if not for her father, a fact that she had worked so hard to undo over years trying to prove that she was so much more. Yet to have it pointed out suddenly that her entire work and everything had been built on top of something that she was working to destroy a bullet through her heart. How had she not seen it before?

The small ounces of irritation and annoyance that had been on the face of all the policemen that she had worked with before save for the chief. As her mind wrapped itself around every memory and incident of her crime-fighting career, small and seemingly invisible things that she had somehow missed came to light. The annoyance on the face of _her_ fellow officers as they were asked to follow the lead of a seventeen year old girl shone like a bulb among all her other memories.

How would she feel were she asked to follow a kid, ten to twelve years younger than her even if it happened to be the princess. Respect, _blind_ respect only lasted for so long, before it was overcome with irritation and later dislike finally leading to hate. She felt a bit light headed thinking of how bossy she had to have sounded while ordering them. How, she had treated all of them like children while she jumped it in without a care in the world of getting shot to fight the scum of Satan city.

She vaguely remembered a civilian being shot as she slapped the gun out the hand of a thug and delivering a roundhouse kick to his head. The some forty year old guy had been shot on his arm; she had seen it in hindsight before jumping into her chopper and heading back to school since she was late for English class. What if the bullet had hit his neck instead? There was no one who could stop that, not even her dad.

 _Have you been instructed on how to deal with situations that may involve other people's_ _lives_ _? Are trained enough to take on that big of a responsibility._

The boy's words rang in her head. She tapped her glass on the table and the blonde hastily filled the glass, squeaking a bit when the Videl's gaze fell on her.

How far he she fallen in delusion. She downed the glass in a single gulp. She was not an active drinker; she could barely tolerate two cups. The third was crossing her limit, but the rational part of her mind was busy taking in all the unseen and uncared facts of her life to care. She wobbly got up to her feet and stumbled her way towards her father who himself was getting drunk with a few ladies. She pushed an old man out of her way, not caring that he was the CEO of Sterling Towers as she moved in towards her father. Seeing him with those, _bimbos_ sent a wave of hate through her body. Changing her mind, she made her way towards the exit taking some time to steady herself on the pillars neaby.

She pushed the door open and felt the rush of the cold air assault her senses. She whipped out her mobile and dialed her butlers number on the speed dial, ignoring a few of the staff of the hall clamoring around her, wanting to help her in any way possible. She pushed through them, ignoring their pleas, her butler would be here with the limo in a few seconds.

"Videl, where are you going?" a voice came from behind. It was Ronnie.

"I-I need to go Ronnie. I'm kind of … not feeling well" she replied tiredly, not even in the mood to put up a fake smile.

"What? Why?" he asked clearly agitated.

"Please Ronnie" she rubbed her forehead, "I'm tired. I'll call you later" she replied patiently, getting inside the familiar limo, waving a quick goodbye before lifting the glasses and sinking into the soft mattress of the seat.

Once she reached home, she literally ran up the stairs to her room. Collapsing on her bed, she kept tying to throw the boys words out of her head. No one had ever had anything but congratulatory things to say to her about her career. Yet somehow, this completely insignificant boy had managed to rile her up by just uttering a few lines of complete nonsense.

It was her duty to her city. The people were safer everyday thanks to her. Had she not arrested nearly a hundred criminals since her appointment? She had thrown robbers, murderers, armed criminals and whatnot behind bars and this was the praise she got in return, a completely unimpressed response on how she hadn't earned her spot.

Logically speaking the guy was somewhat right, but she had done more than enough to prove herself as a competent officer. She rolled on her bed, frustration pouring out of her in spades. No matter what angle she took in the argument, she just couldn't seem to somehow nullify his point.

She gave up trying to sleep at around seven, opting to demolish a few punching bags as she contemplates this new scenario.

* * *

The punching bag shattered, the sand dripping out through a hole in the bag. It was discarded and thrown aside; as Videl carried another one, hanging it up with ease before she started pounding her new opponent. The students on Satan Gym gulped before going back to their earlier activities. Not one of them had the guts to ogle the Princess in her tight yoga pants and fighting gear. Normally all eyes would be on the Princess, but to see her literally destroy one punching bag after another was scaring the shit out of them.

They had never seen the Princess this angry, not even when Danny had _accidentally_ caught her bum while sparing. Half of them decided to call it a day and go home, afraid that the currently psychotic girl would challenge them to a fight. The loss of another punching bag pulled Videl out of her state of rage. The rage however was only mildly diminished for it was not something she could overcome nor rectify.

She had spent the last few hours in a state of anger, the anger originating from the fact that the boy was right which she had realized only after the destruction of her third punching bag. Her knuckles were red due to the sheer amount of power she had put into each of her punches. There was only one thing she could do, and she feared that she may not have what it takes to do the deed. But first she needed to see the chief.

Half an hour later, Videl Satan was standing outside the Headquarters of Satan City's Police Department. She took a deep breath and walked inside, carefully observing the people who passed her. There was respect in everyone's eyes as she passed. All of them nodded to her, and she returned a few, something she would not have a done a few days back. She wanted to carefully observe and record how she acted outside. To nod at those who acknowledged her was not something she was accustomed to, and frankly I was weird for her. Basically, she was the most know public figure in the world as the King's daughter, so it wasn't humanely possible for her to interact with everyone who came up to her. Snubbing people was something she did more than a hundred times a day and came with the job description of being Videl Satan.

Videl walked slowly, navigating along the familiar corridors of the Police Department. To be allowed through every checkpoint without so much as a small security check that everyone underwent was, embarrassing. She had never observed other when people when she was given a free pass. But now, her eyes took notice of the hidden irritation in the eyes of the people in the queue.

Videl took a seat outside the Chief's room. There were a dozen people, a few in suits, two reporters, some day to day people, etc. The receptionist came out of the Chiefs room and her eyes widened comically when they fell on her. She hurried along and quickly made her way up to Videl, completely ignoring those in the queue.

"Miss Satan. Good Morning. Please follow me, the Chief is waiting" she replied in a polite tone.

"Thank you Miss … McKinny" she read on the badge pined on the receptionist's shirt, "but I think I'll wait" she replied politely, looking towards the people in the queue in front of her.

The receptionist looked extremely uncomfortable at the thought, her face scrunching up in panic, before she adopted a neutral expression. "Sure Miss Satan. Just tell me if you are running late" she said hoping Videl would change her mind.

Videl smiled politely, making the receptionist retreat back to her desk at the front. It didn't stop her from throwing nervous looks at the King's Daughter every five minutes or so, expecting the teenage girl to change her mind.

It was the most agonizing half an hour of Videl Satan's life. Never before had she waited to see someone. She would just walk in through the door, expecting the person to do whatever she had in mind. To think that people had to go through a dozen security checks before entering into the building followed by an important enough purpose that warranted a meeting with the Police Chief and a queue that was over half an hour long combined with an appointment that had to be made a week prior, showed just how much leeway she been given. What the boy had said last night though was the icing of the cake.

She could not imagine a person walking past her in the queue and meeting the chief before her, seeing as she had waited for more than half an hour. Was this how people felt when she just by-passed al norms? Did they feel irritated that they have to make way for her every time? Had she always put her convenience over other people's trouble? For the first time in her life, Videl observed how easy her life had been being rich.

"Miss Satan, please, the Chief would like to see you" Ms. McKinny smiled.

Thanking the receptionist she walked inside the familiar cabin of the Chiefs room.

"Good day Videl, What brings you here? Don't tell me that you have again arrested a suspected member of the Red Shark Gang" he said in a light tone. The chief was one of the people whom she could speak her mind with.

"Nothing Chief. I … I just …" she didn't know what to say. Why had she come here? Was it to somehow verify that the words of the boy last night were lies, or to somehow justify her place among the police?

"Come on Videl. Speak up. You know that you can tell me anything right?" he asked in a fatherly tone.

"Can I know the procedure to get a job as an officer over here, Chief?" she asked with a sudden tone of determination.

The Chief was startled to say the least. "Well that was totally unexpected" he said with a chuckle.

"Chief, let's forget for a moment that I am the King's daughter. What would I have to do to get job that puts trash like the Red Shark gang behind bars?" she asked diplomatically.

The chief opted to frown at her rather than reply. It was a good two minutes before he said, "Well for starters you would have undergo a good four years of comprehensive police training, three if it was you considering the amount of skill and fitness you have".

"Then you would subject to a year of mental and law enforcement training after which you'll be able to join duty as a constable. It takes at least a year, no matter how skilled the person is to get a promotion following which you will be authorized to carry a gun with a limited amount of bullets, that has to be accounted every week. Then … why are you asking this, albeit suddenly Videl?".

She didn't answer straight away, processing the information that the Chief had just told her. A minimum of four to five years of rigorous training was needed for a person to assume the lowest position in the department. She had clearance to look into some of the major crime files that rocked the suburbs of Satan City. The outskirts of Satan city were always filled with murder, rape, robbery and whatnot.

"No reason Chief. You know … my ambition … right, to fight crime. I just needed it, for … career insight" she smiled, but the chief was not convinced.

It was split second decision, but then again, Videl Satan was known to be hasty and to the point. She slid off the communicator watch from her hand and placed it on the Chief's table. "I quit chief" she said in a low tone.

She looked up to see the always composed Chief's mouth form a perfect 'O'. Videl slid the watch towards the chief, gave him a sad smile, before she rose from her seat.

"Videl, what brought this on?" the chief asked.

She slowly turned to face him. "Nothing of importance Chief. I guess, I just realized how unfair it is for me to … Well … you get the point" she shook her head, intent on getting out before she retraced her decision and snatched the watch back.

She wished him a good day and threw the door open. "I'm proud of you Videl. You've grown, not just physically" he said. She didn't turn, but the slight tilt of her head made the Chief aware that she had heard.

Coming out of the building, Videl felt a wave of sadness overcome her senses as the weight of her decision descended upon her. She had no idea just how she had managed to turn her life in, the only plus point being that she would have a lot more time on her hands. A fierce and determined look crossed her face as she made a mental vow to train as much as humanely possible. She would push her body to its limits so that when the time came, she would be the best officer Satan City Police Department had ever seen.

But first, a rare but cocky smirk appeared on her face. She would thrash the tournament that was due in a week. She would eliminate any and every person in her path. She would win the SMAT and throw it in the face of that boy who had managed to screw up her ideals.

Videl Satan left with a sinister smirk on her face. She needed to find that boy first. Now, where would he be?

* * *

Gohan whooped as he did a somersault in mid air. He had made a killing tonight. His luck of getting a job at the first opening he saw combined with his first day of having to work at a huge party of millionaire bastards had filled his pockets with a lot of Zenni.

He swooped down on a lake adjacent to the one where he had taken a bath. Stripping down, he dived in searching for the biggest fish, using a concentrated ball of ki as his source of light. He saw one sleeping at the bottom. A single punch had the fish dead in seconds. He carried the monstrously large fish to his cave, using a knife to carefully gut it while starting a fire and preparing a meal worthy of a Saiyan.

The Saiyan appetite satisfied he blinked seeing that it was four in the morning. Sighing, he took out book on Engineering Thermodynamics before settling down carefully on his capsule bed, a rough paper and a pen in hand with a lamp illuminating the small cave as he started on the problems. By the look of things, he would not be getting any sleep. But that hardly mattered, seeing as his Saiyan body could go on for almost three days, before needing sleep.

Plus he had a new Ki technique he had been meaning to try. Oh, how he loved manipulating his Ki in more than a hundred ways to get things done. The best of his techniques was the Ki suppression thing that he had mastered almost five years ago. It basically involved a whole lot of meditation that basically ensured that his Ki did not reach beyond a mile. The control needed to regulate the small tit bit of energy that left his and everyone's body required a level of mental discipline that far surpassed any he had ever tried.

He needed to report to work only at seven in the evening, so no biggie; he had a full day to train and study.

* * *

 **A/N:**

A short Chapter ya. Its all I could manage this week. Sorry guys. I'll try to keep my chapter at around 4K-5K alright. I think that the ideal size. Tell me if it's ok. Other than that, I'm trying to write the second chapter of "The rise of a new power". Its difficult to write a AU travel story you know. I'll try anyways. Life Goes on, is stuck. I have enough to publish it, but am trying to make the plot better so ... ya ... give me some time. An de Souffrance ... I am currently writing that one, but it will take another month ... so sorry ...

Anyways .. Have a great day guys.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadow  
**

* * *

Whistling a small tune, Gohan leisurely strolled through the streets of Satan city. The traffic was bearable, not that he had a car. With the pavement pathway a bit crowded he had to stop every few seconds from bumping into someone. It was the lunch hour so many people were rushing here and there filling up the restaurant seats.

He was currently on route to find some spices. He had finished up the last of his spices using it on his morning fish curry as he liked to call it. "More" seemed like a perfect shop to him. It was funny witnessing how unimaginative people were in coming up with shop names. He definitely would not name his shop as ' _More'_ should he start one.

Pepper, Salt, Cinnamon … all the delicacies in equal proportion, he walked out of the shop fifteen minutes later fifty Zenni less. Starting again on the whistling, he did a recap of all the productive work he had done all day. Two Chapters of Thermodynamics, two new Ki-Techniques and mind blowing amount of workout. His body ached quite a bit, but he'd live, he was a Saiyan after all.

He planned to have all of his subjects done by the time he entered College so that he could spend the entire time in some sort of research or better yet he could lay down the foundations of what he wanted to do with his life, maybe build his own research facility. Either that or open up a Martial Arts Studio, but then it would be pointless to study Engineering seeing as he could do it right after school.

Teach at a University? That had points too. He was a very good teacher and he had a ton of patience. The Cons being that he would be stuck repeating the same thing for year's together, generation after generation.

Research was his best bet till now, seeing as opening a Martial Arts studio would lead him to ruin, what with Hercule running the world. Hmmm, he had to do something about that. The man had too much power for his liking. He wasn't exactly what the Z-fighter would deem a threat, but the man was literally withholding the human race from reaching its true potential by spreading his ignorance and foolishness to everyone. Ki, was used and practiced by almost every species he knew. Frieza and the PTO were proof of that.

Gohan sighed shaking his head. Hercule's stupidity was not a topic worthy of getting worked up over.

A huge crane lifting something on the other side of the road drew the Demi-Saiyan's attention. It appeared that a huge advertisement board had fallen over. It was painted in complete yellow, with Hercule's picture from the 24th WMAT.

'Satan City Martial Arts Tornament' Gohan read in disbelief. What nonsense was this? He crossed the road literally scaring the shit out of an old lady who was forced to squash the brake lever under her feet. Her livid yelling fell on deaf ears, as Gohan's attention was completely captured by the newly erected structure. The worker guys were excitedly talking about the SMAT, the guy who had operated the crane now joining them.

"A fine young man such as yourself would be participating in the tournament I presume" a voice came from behind.

Gohan turned around to see a blonde man in a suit walking towards him. The guy was wearing black sunglasses with an easy smile on his face. He had nicely fit body, and judging by the skin quality on his cheeks, the man was easily in his late forties.

"Oh … I don't know sir. I-uh … I'm not that fond of fighting" Gohan said with an equally friendly look, but the guy appeared scandalized.

"What? Why not? My boy, this is a world class Martial Arts tournament. True, it is a given that a student from the Satan dojo is going to win it, but shouldn't you at least give it a try. The winner gets the biggest privilege after all, a private training session with the King himself. Go for it dear boy" the guy in black said in a convincing tone.

Gohan withheld a snort at the mention of Hercule's training. The guy barely had a proper stance. What was it called again, the Satan Death Stance? Ridiculous, in his humble opinion was the apt word to describe the supposedly fabulous prize offered generously by _their_ King. Looking properly at the board again, he could clearly see the hundred thousand prize money. It would boost his plans quite bit and it would surely irk Hercule to see an unknown party win the tournament. A massive blow to the Satan dojo's reputation was a good way to kick off his entry into high school. It would also shake the people's belief in Satan quite a bit.

"I'll do it sir" he said with a determined look, snapping his eyes away from the board.

"That's more like it" the man said clapping Gohan on the back. "I'm Mark Stone by the way" the man said holding out his hand.

"Oh, I'm Gohan, Gohan Son" Gohan replied with a firm shake of the blonde man's hand.

"Great. My son Sharpner will be competing. You better watch out for him lad. He's one of the Kings most prized students" the man said, a bit of his ego showing, but Gohan dismissed it completely as pride for his son's achievement.

"Thanks for the warning Mr. Stone. Judging by your presence here I assume you personally work for the King" Gohan probed for a bit of information.

"I can't say that I don't lad. Well you are right; I'm the King's private advertiser. Any and all mass broadcastings, press conferences, fights and contracts go through me. The King's been planning this event for months. I doubt even the old WMAT rings were as good as this one. You'll see when you compete" It was not hard to observe the amount of trust and faith that the man had on Satan. It was one of the key points of highlight that he been turning over in his head for the past day. The party event thing had been an eye opener for him to realize just how much the people idolized Satan.

"Well then, I'll see you at the tournament lad. Don't forget, the registration starts today at midnight." Shaking the man's hand, Gohan departed his mind a whirlwind of different things.

* * *

Videl observed the multitude of things that she had ordered online, scattered on her bed, lipsticks, three differently colored contacts, two types of wigs, etc. She decided to go with the red one, seeing as she wasn't fond of blonde hair. Getting the contacts over her eyes was a huge difficulty; she had spent literally half an hour trying to pry her eyes open. Her eyes were sensitive like that.

The red haired wig, fit perfectly over her head. She had ordered the most expensive one, and it was worth it. The lipstick left an odd taste on her mouth, making her snarl in irritation. She had no idea as to how Erasa wore this crap everyday to school.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Videl was completely sure that not even her dad would be able to identify her. This was her chance, to gain a sense of normalcy. She idly wondered why this idea hadn't struck her before. Sure the wig was a bit uncomfortable and the contacts made her eye twitch but if this was what it took to make her Ms. Anonymous then so be it.

She took the elevator down to the garage and decided on taking the Porsche, seeing as that was the only one that would not give away the fact that it was one of the Kings vehicles. The number plate on it was a normal one.

Opening the door she threw her handbag inside. She hated handbags with passion; they always got in the way. What if she needed to punch someone? Getting shot due to her hands being in a tangled mess courtesy the strands of her Handbag was a silly way to die.

She exited the manor and drove along the busy streets of Satan City. For the first time in her life, Videl was able to keep the window shades down and enjoy the busy streets without fear of some idiot thrusting his hand into the car in hopes of somehow touching the _princess._ Sometimes, many a times these people tend to forget that she was also a normal eighteen year old teenager.

Huffing in indignation, she looked to her right, Phoenix Market City, the biggest mall of Satan City. Why not? She drove into the car parking and took the elevator.

She could count on one hand the number of times that she had gone to a mall. People tended to easily recognize her and hence it was impractical to do anything let alone shop with hordes of people following you, or rather peeking at you when they thought you aren't looking. As subtle as a train wreck.

She had originally planned to go to that Triana Restaurant, after learning that they were the ones catering last night. Rethinking the idea of going to some low level restaurant made her admit that it was to spy on that boy from last night. She had no idea why she was suddenly interested in that guy. Maybe it was because that the guy had treated her as an ordinary person.

She knew it had been hypocritical of her to demand respect for being the King's daughter while at the same time making it known outwardly that she loathed being the princess. She detested herself for feeling irritated by the fact that guy didn't bend over like everyone else.

He was the one of the very few people she had met who appeared completely apathetic to her title. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't found said person curious for treating her as he would treat anyone for that matter. However simple curiosity did not make her call up the hall's executives and track down the hired caterer for drinks and pin it down on a local restaurant.

It was the special interest that she had developed in the boy courtesy of his vivid conversation she had shared with him. She had faults as much as anyone living in Satan City but people including her father overlooked them constantly enough that she had never bothered much on the small error of her ways. To have them pointed out was a strange break of the routine that she had fallen into since the Cell-Games.

To openly challenge her and to prove that her actions were not fair following it up with completely logical argument which she could not deny and a completely apathetic chuckle that said that he _just didn't care_ what she did or what she thought, whether she took his words seriously or not, dismissing her like the way he did yesterday had certainly put that young man on her watch list. People valued her opinion, whether it concerned them or not.

But, Hell, she was Videl Satan. She _never_ went behind people, especially some unknown fellow who worked in some medium class restaurant. He was just one person and just because he was not a fan didn't mean he was worth driving all the way over. It was not like she was going to meet him again. He was probably one of those jocks trying to act high and mature but actually coming out as rude. Now that she thought about, the boy had been rather rude.

Videl couldn't help but feel silly for tracking down the catering team. Had she really been considering going over, a few minutes ago. Since when did she start tracking down bartenders? Yes, the guy had raised some sound points but no, this was the last time she was met him if she had anything to say about the matter,

Videl happily sauntered off into the crowds in the Lifestyle section. For the first time in a long time, she was going to choose her own dress. She let out an excited giggle so unlike the _Princess_.

* * *

 **439 Mountain Area**

Chi-Chi Son hung up the last of her family's freshly washed clothes as she watched her husband chase her baby all around the house. They looked so much alike that Chi-Chi always had a hard time reprimanding the two of them. Her son was downright adorable, his naivety rivaling that of his father, appearance wise he was a splitting image of a kid-Goku. She giggled seeing her husband tickling the hell out of their baby who was now on the grass kicking and screaming for mercy.

"Let's go fishing dad" Goten yelled jumping up and down, slithering out of Goku's grasp.

Goku gave her his usual grin before walking off with Goten and Krillin by his side, the latter making Chi-Chi frown in annoyance. She had never gotten over her anger over the once bald monk. How could she, what with the man driving her eldest child away. Neither of them had forgotten the scar the monk had inherited from her, covered by his recently grown hair, around seven years ago.

Yamcha had dropped off the radar since then. He rarely ever came to the Z-Gangs meetings which happened every month or so, what with the tension between the two of them. Chi-Chi knew that she was a brash and hot-headed woman who was many times outright rude. But in her heart, she loved each and every one of her friends with passion. But after what they had done to her son, Chi-Chi would never forgive those two men who had taken her baby away from her, however indirectly it may have been. Even Bulma had been unable to quench the gap, and that was saying something.

 _Gohan,_ She thought of his name everyday in the morning. He was always her first thought, her little prince who she had one day wished to see as a scholar. Now, she didn't want any of that, she only needed him by her side. Chi-Chi had never given up hope that one day their son would return home. Once he did, she would never let him out of her sight again.

Walking inside the house, she picked up the picture of the two of them from the mantle. It contained just her and her baby, a photo taken by her dad, when Gohan had been four years old. Oh, how cute he looked, his adorable tail wrapped around her arm as she hugged him lovingly to her chest.

Her baby had always worn his heart on his sleeve, valuing other people, his friends above everything else. When she had heard the two men confessing to her that they had been a bit hard on Gohan for Goku's death after he had been missing for a week, she had exploded. Her pregnancy at that time did nothing to decrease the rage and range of emotions form anger to guilt to sadness at what her baby must be going through. Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, all shook their heads in a solid 'No' that they could not sense her baby making her throw a tantrum. Looking back, she had been an emotional wreck.

' _We were a bit hard on the kid Chi, kind of blamed him for Goku being gone.'_ Piccolo had punched Krillin right in the face as soon as the monk had explained Gohan's disappearance. The Namekian had been recovering inside the lookout when Shenron had been summoned and the altercation between Goku's supposed best friends and her son had occurred. From what the two idiots had told her, Gohan had just observed them with a critical eye. No anger, No guilt, he had just atken in whatever they had said. They had gone home afterwards, her baby had not. That was the last anyone saw of her son.

The death of a life long best friend would surely leave a mark on you, but to take it out on a 11-year old boy, who had just done something that no one could ever demand from a eleven year old boy was outrageous. Even Vegeta had looked closed to bursting a vein. Piccolo till this day refused to look at the two Z-fighters with nothing but contempt. He took the disappearance of his pupil almost as bad as Goku.

She knew Gohan better than anyone else. She knew that he would have blamed himself for Goku's death, her baby, always putting the weight of many responsibilities on his own shoulders. At that time someone should have stepped forwards and talked to him, from the heart. Instead all that had happened was the solidification of a guilt that should have never been present in he first place. The day her baby came home, was the day he accepted and came in to terms with the Cell Games.

Looking back, she realized just how much Gohan had done to please both her and Goku. Before the Androids, he spent all of his time either fighting and training with his father, or studying for her sake. They had _never_ once allowed him to do what he had wanted.

Goku came back, just in time for Goten's birth after being informed that Gohan had gone missing with the use of the Namekian Dragon Balls. The fact that even the dragon could not locate her son had her crying for weeks in spite of the happy mood she had been courtesy Goku's resurrection. Goku for all of his naïve nature knew this, her husband may be dense but when it came to their son he was all one could ask for a father.

She knew that Gohan's disappearance had left a huge mark in her husband's heart. Admittedly Chi-Chi had never seen Goku get truly angry, save for that night when his two friends confessed their actions towards his son. Two years later they made up and now five years later, the relationship that Goku had shared with Krillin was still not what it was long ago.

Chi-Chi sighed, replacing the photo in the mantle wiping a stray tear from her eye. She had to prepare the kitchen for the monstrously big fish that the father son duo would undoubtedly bring in. She giggled at the mental image of a mouth watering Goten hovering near the kitchen door, just like his father.

* * *

Videl tapped her foot impatiently for her father to arrive home. The day had gone splendidly well for her, to walk amongst people normally, free of the stares, whispers, touches, leers. Oh, she was so doing it again. Tomorrow she was going to go to West City, but right now all she wanted was to sleep. Her shopping spree had left her spent.

But, No, he dad had to intervene. He wanted to talk to her, something important he had said and here she was, waiting for him in his office at eleven in the midnight. Wait, wasn't he needed at the SMAT opening registrations. She knew her father would never miss a chance to cause more publicity.

Her thoughts were shattered when the door opened, and her father walked in clad in his WMAT robes. She frowned trying to remember the last time he wore them.

"Videl. How are you?" he asked.

"Fine, dad. Now what was this that you wanted to meet me with? I'm tired, let's get this over quickly" she mumbled hastily.

Hercule frowned. He had expected his daughter to be a bit more enthusiastic about the SMAT.

"It's about the SMAT Videl. Honestly speaking, I expected you to be a bit more excited about this event"

"I am excited dad and as much as it pains me to say this, I would really appreciate it if you get on with what you want" she said.

"Videl, I expect you to be a bit more respectful. This time I'll let it slide, next time you'll get to see why people fear to cross Hercule Satan, and I'm not talking about in the ring" Hercule kept his tone sharp.

"Do your worst dad. But I'll let you know that I'm competing, and no, you can't talk me out of it" Videl said offhandedly

"Videl, if you lose, it will be a big blow to the Satan name" Hercule said angrily.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. I have no intention of losing, and please don't act like you care about the Satan Dojo dad. If I lose, it will be a student from your Dojo who's going to win, so dont worry, your reputation will be intact no matter what" Videl was getting irritated.

"It's not about the Dojo Videl. It's about our family name" Hercule yelled, "For the past seven years, I have not lost a single tournament. If you lose, it indirectly affects the Satan family winning streak."

"Why are you so obsessed with me losing dad? Have you forgotten that it was you who trained me? Don't tell me its because I'm a girl" Videl yelled back.

Hercule tried to quell the anger within him. What would it take for her to just listen to him? Why did she have to so damn stubborn in everything? Didn't she understand that he needed to see the bigger picture?

"Sweat pea, this just isn't about you. It's about how good the competition is this year. The boys at the Dojo far surpass your level of strength. There isn't even a minute chance that you will win. Please Videl, I don't want to see my daughter beat up in front of my eyes" He said, letting go of his anger and throwing in sorrow instead.

"Dad, why didn't you just tell me you were worried. I promise, I'm much stronger than I look and wasn't it you who told me that strength wasn't everything in a fight. I have enough skill and technique to get by" she said with a smile, now that her father's intentions had shone thorough.

"Goodnight dad" Videl kissed him on the cheek and left, hoping for a good night's sleep and more exploring the city the day after.

"Randolf" Hercule called.

"Sir?"

"It appears that I have been unsuccessful in convincing my daughter against competing" Hercule turned to look at his most loyal servant, "It appears that we have to do things a different way then."

* * *

The streets were crowded to say the least. Even with Hercule arranging nearly thirty centers for registration all around the city, things were getting ridiculous. People were jamming, chattering, speculating about the SMAT. He was sick of hearing the rumors and assumptions of 'Who will win?'. Hercule himself was not a participant hence most of the people were hopeful for his daughter to win the tournament.

Gohan had not taken a Ki-reading off the girl back at the party, frankly because, he was not interested. He doubted she would even make it to the finals. Just because the girl fought lowlife criminals didn't automatically imply that she could take on trained personnel. Any decently accomplished Martial Artist could take a bunch of criminals and show whose boss, but only a talented one would be able to hold any semblance of a challenge to him.

The money would boost his plans by, at least a year so he had decided to get an in to the tournament. Well that, and also a small part of him wanted to beat that Sharpener Stone, after the guys dad had boasted so loudly about his prodigal son. It took around half an hour for him to reach the official at the front; the queue was almost gone, seeing as he had been at the last.

"Name" the old guy chanted in a bored routine.

" _Shadow_ " the old guy rolled his eyes. Gohan frowned seeing as he had spent a lot of time coming up with the name.

"Where do you kids come up with these names?" the guy mumbled, "Phone number?"

"Um … I don't have one" He got stared at. Gohan nervously scratched his hair.

"Where are you from kid, in the mountains?" The guy chuckled at his own joke.

Here, the man handed him a piece of paper with a number scribbled on top along with a chit containing the participant number with his registered name 'Shadow' printed on top. "Call this number in the next forty eight hours and get your registered name verified, else you're out kid. And don't lose that chit, you got to show that at the tournament, else they won't let you in."

Gohan gratefully took the paper walked in search of a telephone booth ignoring the man's mumbled, "Not that you'd make it past the first round."

Just because he wore baggy clothes alone meant that people underestimated him. Even when walking on the streets he had seen the more bulky guys try to push him out of their way, looking cowed when they knocked themselves out. He tried not to draw attention to himself, but when idiots walked his way, he couldn't resist bursting their ego and bringing them down a few pegs.

Tomorrow his results would be out and hopefully his enrollment in school would be finished by the day after tomorrow. Sighing, he quickly found a telephone booth inserting a coin and dialing the known number. Some annoying squeaky woman answered the phone and two seconds later his 'in' to the tournament was official.

Oh, he was going to make a killing. He couldn't wait to try out the new Gi that he had made. It was one of the most expensive things that he owned. Custom made, it was a masterpiece, without the purple like Piccolo's Gi or orange fancy colors like his dad. Vegeta's blue suit armor would never match up to what he had in store.

His Gi was pure Black secured with a red sash that went around his waist. He had always loved black. But, his affiliation and love to his mentor and father had always persuaded him to follow in their footsteps.

Now though, he was his own man. He doubted that his fighting style that he had improved and adjusted over the span of six years resembled anything of Piccolo's Demon style or his father's Turtle style. In fact, one could say that it was a very thorough mixture of each and every enemy he had fought.

Fighting Frieza had taught him to watch out for reptilian species that may use their tail to their advantage, serving as a third appendage. He needed his stance to be immune to such advantages the enemy may possess.

Cell represented Power, and Gohan knew that one could never always be the strongest player on the field. A quick correction to his base stance could help him in defense, while it bought him precious time to outmaneuver or outsmart his opponent.

In a fight against someone such as his father who relied on speed more than anything else meant that he had to build up endurance. He needed to be able to take hits. Or more like, he needed to the opponent to think that he was handing out hits thanks to the superior speed they possessed, while in reality his body had been trained to take hits at specific points that he had left uncovered in his stance.

This strategy required a swift and strong finisher to ensure that the enemy didn't get back up. A one hit K.O. But that was never possible, so damage as much as possible in that one hit and get back to defending whilst maneuvering your movements to build up another such opportunity. If you were able to get through his defense once, they you sure as hell can do it again.

The tournament was in five days. Gohan couldn't help the excitement and adrenaline coursing through his veins. Not only was he going to be fighting, he was going to be in school in a two weeks time. He needed a break from the isolation he had imposed on himself. The past six years had been spent on improving himself in every field. Now, he was going to reap those efforts and subject himself to a normal life. It was all he had ever wanted.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Do review your thoughts on the chapter and the story in general.**

 **Errors in the Chapter- Please PM me or review.**

* * *

 **Next Chapter: The Tournament begins**


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